Letters from Visitors

We enjoy getting letters. Please . Letters are subject to editing for grammar, punctuation, and clarity. Your address will not be published unless you include it in the text of your message.

Received: 12/09/05

Subject: Band at NJROTC AMI

Matt, I wanted to make certain that you know how much we appreciated your support for our Annual Military Inspection. Brandon Martel and the Band element did a great job. Not only did their music add a great deal to our event but the group's professionalism and dependability were outstanding. Please pass my appreciation and that of the NJROTC cadets to your students who did such a great job.

Thank you,

Well done!,

Col. Tom Finnerty USMC(Ret.)

Received: 11/21/05

Subject: Thank you to Cary High Band

On behalf of the Cary High Football Team, I would like to extend my appreciation to everyone associated with the Cary High Band for their continued support throughout the 2005 football season. Thank you so much for your attendance at the South View game this past Friday evening.

I am a graduate of Cary High, currently volunteering as a football coach with our team. I played football for Cary in the mid-70's, then at Duke University and for several years with the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL. People often ask me if I miss playing football and my answer to them is that I miss High School football more than anything. It's interesting that some of my fondest memories of football center around the Cary Band. I can vividly remember being on the field for warm-ups and hearing the Cary Band making their way from the opposite side of campus to the field. No where in sight yet, I could hear the drum cadence signaling the band's imminent arrival as my adrenalin level increased. Louder and louder until finally I could see the band entering Cooper Field. As a player, I remember every Friday night stopping my warm-ups to watch the band enter the field. I was inspired by your discipline, by the precision of your steps, by the expression on your faces. But most of all, I felt your power and energy. I literally got chills when you rounded the track, the cadence still getting louder and louder. At that moment, I knew I was ready to play. Back then, the Band traveled to all the away football games and when they entered the visiting stadium, all attention was on them. It wasn't enough that the football team was there and our fans that made the trip. Once the band arrived, the Cary family was complete and I felt at home.

I guess what I'm trying to say is thanks for being such a big part of my athletic career at Cary High. And today, as a coach, I still get those chills every time you guys enter the field. If you know who I am, you'll see me watching you every time you come thru the gates. I still notice your discipline and precision and I still feel your power and energy. I know the players on our team this year feel the same way because I see them watching you. I see them bouncing to your cadence as their adrenalin levels increase, I see them feeding off the energy you bring and it helps our team more than you can imagine.

Earlier, I shared with you that I played football at Duke and in the NFL. I did that to let you know that I've been exposed to many many wonderful bands. None ever moved me the way the Cary Band does and none ever will. You guys are the best!!!!!

Congratulations on another great year that you are having. You continue to be the standard for bands and outstanding representatives of Cary High and our community. As the football team continues their quest for a state championship, I hope you guys can be there with us.

Thanks again for all you do.

Sincerely,

Chris Castor

Received: 11/03/05

Subject: Cary Band Day

Thank you for putting on a great day of parade and competition. I was a disappointed in the judges. I think they really blew it when judging the Apex High School. According to your very own "Cary Newspaper", they rocked the night. You really needed to be in the crowd to experience the crowds reaction, it was an awesome performance. I hope Apex does not end up boycotting your future competitions like other schools are. Thanks again and I hope the judging improves next year.

Received: 10/30/05

On behalf of the Bassett Band, I would like to thank you for the hospitality that was shown to our band, directors, staff and parents. It was a long day for all, but a wonderful one. You guys really worked hard to put on your competition. Also, thank you for helping with our injured guard member, it was very much appreciated.

Good Luck in Indy!

Thanks once again,

Lesley Cornett
Bassett Band Head Chaperone

Received: 09/27/05

Dear Cary Marching Band,

Congratulations on your win at Hickory High School this past weekend!

We really enjoyed your field show. Your awards are well deserved!

We just wanted to express how impressed we are with the Good Sportsmanship your group shows. It makes competitions so much more fun for all. Keep up the good work!

Donna M. Powell
Lee Davis High School Parent

Received: 09/25/05

To all the Cary marchers,

I just wanted to congratulate you all for doing so amazing at the competition here at Hickory. You were truly amazing. I look forward to actually competing against you all at JMU this year. Good luck!

Sarah D.
Hickory High School
Snareline

Received: 10/25/04

To all of our fellow marchers at Cary,

I just wanted to congratulate you guys on your taking the cup (aka "punch bowl") at the Capital City Band Expo this Saturday. I'm glad I got a chance to see your show and I enjoyed it immensely. See you next year(?) and good luck!

Zach A.
Concord High School
Marching Spiders
Clari-'o'-net

Received: 01/06/04

Dear Cary Band,

I had the honor of seeing you perform at the latest Cary Band Day.  I was delighted with the performance and was pleased to see that the band had some of the quality, sharpness, snap and pride that I remember from my days in the band.  Although I now live in Northern Virginia I hope to be able to see the band perform again in next years Band Day.  Keep up the good work!

Gina (Morris) Mason
Cary graduate 1985

Received: 11/10/03

Dear Cary Band,

I was so happy to hear about you getting into finals at regionals. I really miss you guys! Keep up the good work!

Sherry Downing

Received: 11/10/03

Congrats are in order for your success in St. Petersburg 11/8.
You guys are a great band and very competitive.  Hope to see you again soon.

WJHS Band Parent

Received: 10/05/03

Dear CHS Band,

Hi there! My name is Lindsay York and I'm a junior from Southern Alamance High School. When I was younger, I used to live in Cary, and it was a pleasure seeing you all yesterday. I saw your performance at the Central Cabbarus competition and I must say that I was amazed. I absolutely loved your show and you guys deserved to be the grand champion! I wish you all the best of luck for the rest of your band season, I'm sure you'll do great. Hopefully I'll be lucky enough to see you perform again =)

Many thanks,
Lindsay York

Received: 05/22/03

Dear bandies,

I've enjoyed all the laughs that you guys and girls gave me and I look forward to coming back just to see you win at Regionals and later Nationals! There is no greater joy than the one that I get when I see you play and or have been a part of that musical journey! I've always wanted to fit in and with this band that's exactly what happened. Thanks for all that you have done to improve yourselves. I look forward to coming back and seeing Cary High School Band have nothing but number one trophies in their hall. Remember that we are "Number One Sir!" Thanks again, c-ya in the future!

Joseph Thomas - Class of '03

Received: 05/13/03

To:Cary Band

Hi! My name is Lauren Bailey and I am the Drum major for the Smithfield-Selma Spartan Regiment for the years '03-'05. I just wanted to let you know that yall have an outstanding band and i love watching yall perform. Good luck next season and can't wait to see yall at the competitions. Keep up the hard work!

Lauren Bailey
Smithfield-Selma High School
Spartan Regiment
C/O '05

Received: 12/15/02

Hi ! I was a member of the marching band for four years under Tony Robinson - class of '92. Unfortunately I haven't seen any recent shows. I live in Georgia now - three years married with a five-month-old baby girl. But I do make it back home to Cary occasionally. Mom and Dad are still there. Faithful Band Boosters and chaperones, they were.

Gina Everett, who has a letter posted on the site, was my section leader my freshman year, I believe. We were piccs. My last year, I was a flugel horn, though. That was awesome (I'm sure Mr. Robinson would say it was something more like "interesting" heehee). Sorry to say I have favored brass ever since then.  ; )

From what I hear, the band has stayed strong in discipline and tradition and that's awesome. I understand the value in those two things more than ever now. I hope to see some shows in the next couple of years.

Best Wishes !

Jennifer West Whiteford
( )

Received: 10/26/02

Dear Cary High School Band and Family,

We just wanted to say to all of the band, pit crew, and Mr. Minick that we are very proud of you!  Cary band is the BEST band on the planet!  We are so pleased that our son is a part of the Finest Organization we've ever seen!  Thank you to all of the parents, both in the limelight and behind the scenes! 

God Bless You All!

Mr. and Mrs. Frederick D. Thomas, Sr.
(Thomas Transport Service)

Received: 09/22/02

Hi!

My name is Kim and I am a drum major at Havelock High School. Your show is awesome! The performance went very well. Sometimes, when you watch shows at a competition, you get bored halfway through it. A lot of the kids in the HHS band commented that they didn't get bored at all! You did great visuals! The dynamics and articulations in the music were awesome! Best of luck at BOA this year!! Keep up the enthusiasm!

Received: 09/07/02

Dear Band Folks,

I wanted to write and let you know how excited I was at the performance last night at the Cary vs. Athens Drive football game. I realize that it was the first performance of the year and it was not a full show. But I have to tell you that the enthusiasm, the music and the marching were all impressive. I look forward to seeing the show continue to develop! It is great to see the larger number of band members, and they even looked sharp in the shorts outfits they were wearing. The Band Boosters were all scurrying around with equipment and props as usual. The most impressive aspect to me though was the interaction with the students, the cheerleaders and the football team. The band was there from the beginning and stayed until the end, played the fight song after every score, got the crowd involved and was an integral part of a Friday night tradition.

Sadly this has not been the case in recent years. As a former band member, I have been disappointed as the band has grown more and more detached from the rest of the school; showing up only for halftime, never attending away games and missing some home Fridays as well. But it is clear that our new director understands that even though world famous, our band is still an important part of Cary High School! Please keep up the good work and best of luck in Indianapolis!

Mike Thornbury
Cary High School
Class of 1974

Received: 10/23/01

Dear Band and Boosters,

It is with great thrill and excitement that I watch the band each half time at Cooper Field. (I am one of those who doesn't dare patronize the concession stand during halftime.) Being a former band member and parent of band members, I KNOW the effort that goes into each performance, both by the students and the parents. The props this year are the best I have ever seen.

The growth of the band is spectacular and a real tribute to Mr. Minick. Seeing the 50% growth from last year to this year and then seeing only 9 seniors on senior night tells the story of his success with the students! A special thanks to Dr. Coley for his vision as a former band director himself for bringing Mr. Minick to Cary High School.

Thanks for making us proud in Cary. Thanks for representing us so well in Bands of America. I KNOW you faced the toughest competition the band has faced in many years. What a fantastic showing! Keep up the good work!

Ken George
Class of '76

Received: 10/21/01

Dear Cary Band people,

We were at the competition in Salisbury, and were amazed, delighted and astounded at all the bands, and especially the Cary High School band. Such beautiful young people -- healthy-looking, hard-working, happy. We did not know that our grandson could dance!

The banners re Leonardo da Vinci were excellent.

Today we received a forwarded e-mail that you had made the finals in Ohio. Congratulations. You (and especially the trumpets) are wonderful.

James and Mary Owen
Boone

Received: 10/07/01

Hello Cary! It was a pleasure to compete against you at Clinton on October 3rd. Even though we didn't get to see you perform, we will be able to see you again. So watch out for the Marching Tigers, because we are going to come at you hard. And it won't be raining either. But like I said, Congratulations.

Received: 12/22/00

Hello Cary Band:

Just wanted to say how proud of the Cary Band I am. I did not get to see the band until Cary Band Day. I enjoyed the show tremendously, and felt the performances were of great quality and excellence.

Mr. Minick, thanks for carrying on the "Tradition" of excellence. In judging many competitions this fall, it was with pride that people knew of my work at Cary High School, and then to know that you are keeping up the "tradition." You are to be commended, and I know what you have had to go through to do it. Keep up the good work. Working with the Cary Band will become one of the most rewarding aspects of your life. Trust me, I know.

To the former students of mine, You have made me proud, and I trust you will continue your support to change and new direction.

Good luck in the concert season, and enjoy a time of making music off the field.

Tony Robinson
Band Director
Wakefield Middle School 2000
Cary High School 1987-2000

PS I hope everyone gets a copy of the CD. I listen to it with great emotion and good memories of everyone involved.

Received: 11/11/00

Hello...my name is Bridget Mercurio, I live in Charlotte, NC. I am in the marching band at South Mecklenburg. I saw you guys perform at Chapel Hill and I thought you guys were great!! I am also friends with one of your guard members Patricia Rocker. I am planning on going up to Cary soon. I hope to meet some of you guys. You sound awesome! I have just finished looking at your scores and you guys are really blowing those other bands out of the water! I better watch out for you guys next year! We will be at the Tar Heel Invitational again next season. I look forward to competing with you!! Good LUCK!!! You guys really look like one big family...that is so kool. Keep it up!!

~love~

the biggest band geek you'll ever meet

Bridget Mercurio

Charlotte, North Carolina South Mecklenburg Marching Sabres!

Received: 11/7/00

Hello this is Allison Whaley. I wanted to tell all my buds in the band how proud I am of all of you guys. I wish you the best of luck with Band Day. I know that you guys will do great. I love every one of you.

Love Always,

Allison Whaley

Received: 7/18/00

Hello to all the Cary band students out there. My name is Darius Smith. I did not attend Cary HS or march in the band, but I had several friends that did. One of my friends, George Savitz, was drum major a couple of years ago. I lost contact with him after leaving drum corps (we both marched Tarheel Sun charter year) and I was wondering if anyone had any information on his whereabouts. If anyone can give me any information on where he is, I'd truly appreciate it. As for the marching band members now, keep up the good work. Cary has a longstanding tradition of outstanding performers. I'm sure you guys are great. Thanks.

much love

Received: 5/28/00

Just wanted to tell you waht a great page you have! Congrats on the new director. I do not personally know him but I am familiar with the Fieldale Band and I think you are in good hands. Transitions can be rough so support him in all his endeavors. Best of luck in the upcomming season. Come down to SC sometime and hit a contest or two. We have a statewide web page with links to individaul bands and competitions (www.bandlink.org). Take care and God bless.

Thomas Khoe
Chapman High School Band

Received: 4/19/00

Hello American People....

This is Peter From Le Touquet.....

Just a short E-mail to tell you that to came and played music for us.

I will have for ever a good memory of our trip to Paris and I hope to see you soon in France......

(Special hello to :Kristy, Many, Kristy's Mother, "Jesus", and all of the other......)

Peter TROLLE

Tel: 06 09 55 25 49

Received: 1/22/2000

Hello my name is Megan Hansen. I was a member of the CHS marching band from 1992 to 1995 under the direction of Tony Robinson and drum major Ryan Megredy. We had a wonderful band and a great instructor. I was the clarinet section leader and the first chair clarinestist in the symphonic band. Actually me and another girl Carrie Smith keep switching first and second chair. I miss my days of marching band and CHS. Please to all of you in marching band at CHS enjoy your time and hard work. It pays off and it well worth it. It might not always seem that way but the memories, competition, experience(s) and friends are all things will treasure forever. The CHS marching band and smphonic band are awesome and definately #1. Good job everyone and good luck to those still in the band. And to you Mr. Robinson, I don't know if you remember me, Megan Hansen from class of 1995 but I hope all is going great and I wish you the best now and always. To Tony, Andy and the CHS band best of luck and have fun in France. I had fun at the Carquest Bowl on FL. If anyone would like to reach me, you can at .
Take care and best of luck.

Fellow CHS band member, Megan Hansen

Received: 1/10/00

I was fortunate enough to see your band perform in a couple of competitions this year. The show was beautiful. You are quite luck in having Tim Gauldin work with your program. Tim is very gifted and extremely talented in the production of field shows. He puts great effort in all of his performances, and believe me, it definitely shows when bands he works with take the field. I know because my daughters' former high school has a band room overflowing with trophies, courtesy of Tim's productions. We miss him very much! It is quite a pleasure to see him working with a program that appreciates his talent.

Good luck in your future performances and I will see you next year!

Maria Warren
Virginia Beach, VA
former H.S. Band Parent
presently college band parent

Received: 10/11/99

Hello! my names David and at one time would have been a part of your band. Of coarse, we moved to Fredericksburg Texas. I bet you never knew that you were in fact talked about in texas. We are a class AAAA band and Ive told them the many good things about the Cary HS band. It seems to work as our inspiration. We won third place against 18 AAAAA bands and first at another competition. Now were hoping for state!!. Best of luck to all of you in future competitions!!

David Radcliffe and the Fredericksburg High School Marching Band (the pride of the Texas Hill Country)

Received: 9/29/99

I just wanted to comment on how wonderful your show is this year. As a chs marching band alumni (class of 89), i have followed the band since i graduated, and i think this show is the best i have seen since my first year in the band, 1985. I have seen the show twice now and the opener has brought tears to my eyes both times. Way to go flute and piccolo solo! you guys rock. You need more piccs though! looking forward to seeing the show again at the next ball game.

Gina Everett Josephon

class of 89 piccolo!

Hello, how's everyone doing? This is Brandon Earles from Fieldale-Collinsville High School. I play the Tenor Sax. I just wanted to commend you on all of your performances. We just got back from North Western Guilford High School. We won Grand Champion, but we didn't put on a good as show as we did last week. Nice talkin' to ya and good luck on all of your performances. Please write back.

From:

It was a pleasure and a privelidge to see your band's performance at the Tarheel Invitational. I think that you did very well. I am just sorry that I did not get to tell you in person. There were so many good bands there last night, we should all be really proud of our accomplishments.

Good luck with any other comps you have. I hope to see your band again soon.

Marching Patriots

I am a member of the Royal Brigade Marching band of Courtland High School. Recently your band stayed with us overnight after the Mount Vernon competiton. I just wanted to take the time to thank those who signed the banner that we had hanging in our band room. It was a very nice gesture of sportsmanship. Thank you very much and good luck for the rest of the year. See you at Cary.

Sincerly, , Low Brass, Courtland High School

I love your web page. My name is Marcia and I'm a band parent of the Ridley Raider Band in suburban Philadelphia. I stopped at your page because I have a sorority sister from college who lives in Cary and works in one of the schools (I think in the cafeteria). Her name is Karen Taylor and if anyone knows her, please tell her BIRD says hi. I know it's a shot in the dark, but worth a try. Thanks.

My name is Brad Langhans, and I am the band director at Havelock Middle School (Craven County Schools). I am thoroughly impressed with this web site!! It is obvious that you have spent countless hours working on this page - when did you have time to practice your music? The last time I participated in Cary Band Day was in 1994 when I was teaching at West Craven HS and we had an outstanding time... Keep up the great work and I look forward to seeing the Cary High School Band next fall!

Hello,

My name is Robert Busan and I recently visited Cary as a conductor of the National Childrens Wind Orchestra of Australia. I was very impressed with the hospitality and generosity of your community.

In particular, I appreciated the efforts of your band boosters who kindly drove the truck around with the equipment we used during our stay. Please pass on my thanks to all concerned.